November 2012 Page 9
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The
Southern Cross
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The Adelaide Archdiocese has
appointed a temporary chaplain
for the Syro-Malabar community in
Adelaide -- the first appointment of
its kind -- as the head of the Oriental
(Eastern Rite) Catholic Church group
makes Australian Church history
with his inaugural visit later this
month.
His Beatitude Mar George Cardinal
Alencherry, the Major Archbishop of
the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church,
will commence a pastoral visit to
Australia in Sydney on November
26 before reaching Adelaide on
December 6. It is the first ever
pastoral visit by the Head of the
Syro-Malabar Church to Australia.
Cardinal Alencherry will celebrate
Mass at St Francis Xavier's
Cathedral at 7pm on December 6
before returning to India.
"I am very excited to visit with some
of the 10,000 Syro-Malabar families
spread across Australia," said
Cardinal Alencherry in a statement
last month.
The Syro-Malabar Church is an
Oriental (Eastern Rite) Catholic
Church in full Communion with the
Church of Rome. It is the second
largest of the 22 Oriental Catholic
Churches with over four million
believers worldwide.
In September, Adelaide Vicar
General Father Philip Marshall
appointed Fr Francis Perumaden
OFM Cap, from Newton Parish, as
temporary chaplain to the Adelaide
Syro-Malabar community.
Fr Perumaden (pictured) said the
local Syro-Malabar community was
growing as more Indians migrated
to Australia. He said the Adelaide
group consisted of about 400
families.
Fr Perumaden celebrates Mass in
Malayalam (the language of south
India) three times a month at the
parishes of Salisbury, Croydon
Park and St Ann's (St Bernadette's
Church, St Marys).
In 2010, it was announced that the
pastoral needs of the Syro-Malabar
community in Australia would be
served by the establishment of a
National Pastoral Care process.
Cardinal Alencherry was invited
to visit Australia by the Australian
Catholic Bishops Conference
(ACBC) and the Syro-Malabar
community, and during his time in
Australia will meet with members of
the ACBC and local communities.
A permanent chaplain for the
Adelaide diocese will be announced
soon.
Chaplain for growing
Indian community
A cairn using the original stone of
the convent built by Saint Mary of
the Cross MacKillop was unveiled
by the Mitcham Council last month
to commemorate the canonisation
of Australia's first saint.
The unveiling on October 24 was
attended by Lady Mary Downer,
State Provincial Leader of the
Sisters of Saint Joseph Sister
Marion Gambin, Josephite nuns,
Vicar Gerenal Father Philip Marshall,
and State member for Waite Martin
Hamilton-Smith.
The stack of blue stone rocks,
on Muggs Hill Rd, marks the
historical relevance of the site to
Mary MacKillop and her place in
Mitcham's history books.
St Mary MacKillop was able to build
a convent and cemetery for her
growing order on a property facing
Muggs Hill Rd after Robert and
Joanna Barr Smith transferred the
land in 1881 to the sisters for five
shillings.
A second cairn has been built on
nearby Maitland St -- the original
site of Our Lady of Dolores
Church St Joseph's School (now
at Kingswood) and the Catholic
women's refuge where many women
were cared for by the sisters.
Mitcham Mayor Michael Picton
said: "The City of Mitcham is very
proud of its history and heritage
and we hope that the two cairns will
reflect to the community the work
of St Mary MacKillop and also her
strong connection with Mitcham.
With these cairns comes validation,
recognition and acknowledgement
of our place in a very special history
and we trust that both the local and
wider community will take the time
to enjoy them."
Mary MacKillop was canonised
on October 17, 2010, at St Peter's
Basilica in Rome.
Mitcham marks Mary's presence
IMMORTALISED: St Joseph's School students (L-R) Anais Elphick, Jack Cousins, Michael
Morrow, Sonia Dahdah, Nick Cousins and Bernard Panozzo with the carin marking Mary
MacKillop's prescence in Mitcham, and left, Lady Mary Downer, Mayor Picton and
Sr Marion Gambin at the unveiling.